Scotland moves to highest weather alert for Storm Arwen
The east coast of Scotland is set for the worst of the winter storm
Last updated 26th Nov 2021
Met Office forecasters are upgrading the weather warning for Storm Arwen for the east coast of Scotland to the highest level red alert.
The first winter storm is set to batter parts of the UK with 75mph winds with the red warning in place until 2am on Saturday 27th November.
The forecaster warned that flying debris leading to injuries or danger to life is "likely", with people also told to expect damage to trees and buildings, public transport cancellations, road and bridge closures, power cuts and large waves.
Large areas of the Highlands are also covered by an Amber alert.
75mph winds
Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesman, told the PA news agency: "The worst-affected areas will predominantly be on the coasts, with gusts of over 75mph bringing possible disruption to travel and longer journey times, power cuts, flying debris and large waves, with beach material being thrown around.
"This reflects the impact Storm Arwen will have, with strong winds likely to occur into Saturday, when the warning is extended to most parts of the UK.
He said Storm Arwen is moving in from the North Sea and will begin to travel south before easing on Sunday.
Yellow wind warnings are also in place across most western parts of the UK on Friday, extending to the rest of the country on Saturday.
Mr Dixon added: "As Arwen causes disruption there will also be the chance of snow in the coming days, especially in the higher regions of Scotland and northern England.
Warnings for drivers
Graeme Day, the Scottish transport minister, urged people travelling to take the weather into account, and said: "The whole country is going to see blustery conditions, but the Met Office is telling us that eastern parts of Scotland in particular are going to see some difficult
He added: "There is the potential for disruption on the roads, especially on bridges, and people should check the latest information before they set off, drive to the conditions and follow Police Scotland advice. The Traffic Scotland service gives details of 'wind-based' closures for the bridges on the trunk road network, allowing people to plan ahead accordingly.
"Motorists should check Traffic Scotland before they set off to make sure that their route is available. The Traffic Scotland mobile website - my.trafficscotland.org - lets people get the latest information on the move and the Traffic Scotland Twitter page is updated regularly.
"The conditions are also likely to lead to disruption on other modes of transport, so we are urging people to take the weather into account if they are planning to travel on trains, ferries and flights."